Jackson Jobe's path to Opening Day roster got tougher after Tigers' weekend showing

Just last month, it looked like the Detroit Tigers were going to have a difficult time filling out their starting rotation. Now, just two weeks after pitchers and catchers reported to spring training, it looks like they're going to have trouble trimming it down.

Starting pitching depth behind 2024 American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal had been a major concern for the Tigers heading into 2025. Of course, the return of Jack Flaherty locked him into the No. 2 spot behind Skubal, with Reese Olson likely to slot in at No. 3. Beyond that, offseason free agent signing Alex Cobb has already gone down with a hip injury that is expected to sideline him for at least a month, and the outlook for the back of the Tigers' rotation was pretty bleak.

While the club had made no guarantees, it appeared inevitable that top prospect Jackson Jobe would not only crack the Opening Day roster, but potentially earn a spot in the Tigers' rotation straight out of camp. However, after some strong spring training debuts from another pair of Tigers pitchers, Jobe's spot on the Opening Day roster is looking like less of a sure thing.

Jackson Jobe's path to Opening Day roster spot got tougher after Tigers' weekend performance

Veteran right-hander Kenta Maeda, who had been all but written off as a bust after a brutal 2024 season that saw him relegated to the bullpen, struck out four batters in two innings of no-hit baseball for the Tigers in Saturday's Grapefruit League matchup against the Philadelphia Phillies. His four-seam fastball averaged 92.4 mph and maxed out just below 94 mph – a marked improvement over his fastball velocity in 2024, which averaged below 90 mph, according to Statcast.

The following day, former No. 1 overall pick Casey Mize tossed two scoreless frames of his own against the New York Yankees, giving up a pair of hits and striking out three. His four-seamer also exhibited a slight uptick in velocity, as did his increasingly effective 90 mph splitter.

It's still early and an admittedly small sample size, but the early success of Maeda and Mize at spring training could put Jobe and the Tigers in a difficult spot. Detroit has ace-like aspirations for Jobe, but the Tigers are also trying to win as many games as possible in 2025. With that in mind, it's very possible that their top pitching prospect begins the season with Triple-A Toledo to continue developing before he's called upon to contribute at the next level.

Even if Jobe has a strong spring, his path to Detroit's starting rotation is decidedly less clear. And for the Tigers, there are certainly worse problems to have.

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